The goal of mass production is to automate as much as possible. This is particularly true in the bakery art where dough is mixed, shaped and then introduced into an oven, removed from the oven and packaged. A great degree of manual effort was required in the bakery art with the operator manually moving baking trays from operation to operation. Gradually, automation was introduced into the bakery art and there are a number of patents known to the inventor that deal with conveyor systems having application to the bakery art. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,546,951; 3,202,260; 3,108,677; and 3,526,472.
The aforementioned patents have application to the bakery art in the transfer of dough and bakery products on baking trays from operation to operation.
Applicant's invention is concerned with the transfer of dough, from the shaping machine, to the oven whereby certain steps occur in the intervening transportation of the dough such steps including but not limited to the further shaping or flattening of the dough ball.
In order to obtain uniformity in size, shape, thickness, and cooking time, the dough balls, after having been formed, must be positioned on the conveyor belt, in a selective pattern in order to be introduced into the shaping machine and subsequent oven. With respect to the mass production of baking products of a Mexican origin, these steps were normally handled manually. Applicant's invention provides for an automated conveyor process which permits the operator to selectively control the pattern by which the dough balls are introduced into the roller mechanism for shaping and subsequently into the oven for cooking. Applicant's invention was designed for the mass production of Mexican baked goods such as tortillas and the like and will be described with respect to same; however, Applicant's invention is capable of handling and selectively arranging dough balls in the weight range from one ounce to five and a half ounces.